Florida Redesigning License Plates For Traffic Cameras

Florida communities have been quick to make use of new automated traffic cameras to catch drovers who fail to stop when the light turns red. But there’s been a slight problem with this idea: Florida license plates have raised numbers and letters and a special surface which makes it difficult for the cameras to adequately capture a usable image. Some estimates are that the state has been losing as much as $3 million a year in fines because of this problem with the existing license plates, prompting legislators to make a change.

Don’t get your hopes up, the traffic cameras are not going away, just the license plates. That’s right, the state of Florida is preparing to issue all new license plates in an effort to make certain those traffic cameras (plus the new ones expected to be installed across south and central Florida) can capture the image perfectly.

Traffic cameras are the bane of any driver who likes to push their luck when the lights start to change, but they have proved to be a boon for police and communities that use them because they work faster than the human eye–and they do it automatically so no police officer has to sit there to catch red-light-runners.

Defensive drivers know better than to run a red light, or fail to yield when the lights begin to change. They understand just how dangerous it is at every intersection and take precautions against collisions. But not all drivers are defensive drivers and these automated traffic cameras help separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to safe and unsafe drivers. Not everyone is happy with these systems, however. Some groups claim they are infringement on personal rights, but courts have repeatedly ruled that these automatic devices are merely there to enforce the laws drivers should be following any way.